


Tunnel

by QuantumAbyss_mal (lonestarjdv)



Series: VLD Post Season 8 Canonverse Angst [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, M/M, Missed Connections, Post S8 Canon, WIP, no happy ending (yet)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-09
Updated: 2020-02-09
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:21:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22639153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lonestarjdv/pseuds/QuantumAbyss_mal
Summary: In which the timing of this universe just doesn’t line up for Keith and Shiro.Trigger warning for devoted sheiths. Shiro and Keith are NOT together in this. If you are looking for soft fluffy feels, turn back now.This is a wip. It eventually connects to Desert Sunset and even beyond that a happy ending for Keith, even though it feels like he’s in pine-y stoic mode at the end of this bit.
Relationships: Curtis/Shiro (Voltron), Keith/OMC (Voltron)
Series: VLD Post Season 8 Canonverse Angst [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1868650
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10





	Tunnel

Keith takes his leave of Kolivan at the door to the Paladin’s lounge with assurances and follow ups scheduled for the next day. Keith is bone tired but hopeful and looking forward to sitting down and eating something. When he turns though, he sees something unusual.

Shiro is sitting on the couch. 

There was a time when that wouldn’t have struck Keith as odd, but it’s been years since Shiro was a regular presence in the Paladin’s lounge. Their duties have taken them in separate directions and it wouldn’t be inaccurate to say their relationship is...distant. They had reconnected in fits and spurts, and each time had left Keith high and expectant, only to sink into bitter disappointment when promised calls hadn’t materialized and days had stretched into months into years. 

Sometimes Keith caught himself wondering if they’d ever been close. It seemed like a different lifetime. 

On the worst, most self-indulgent, days, Keith thought maybe his feelings for Shiro had been one sided all along. He’d blink back tears and berate himself for being so blind and desperate and needy. So weak. It seemed so clear in hindsight that he’d just been a love struck fool chasing at Shiro’s heels across the whole godammed universe. It was embarrassing. 

There had been more of those days in the past couple years than Keith would care to admit, and he had steadily built a containment wall around that part of his heart. 

In the last months, he’d finally abandoned that portion of his heart that belonged to Shiro, the wall high and solid. 

It had taken months of slow courting and cautious advances, but in the last weeks Keith had started dating a rebel leader in one of the outlying systems. Keith had initiated their first kiss and felt butterflies. For the first time in a long time, he felt like he was looking forward, not back. It felt good. 

He wouldn’t say he had been waiting for Shiro, but in hindsight, his attempts at romance had been fairly self-sabotaging and half-hearted at best, which would explain his non-existent love life. 

So of course Shiro is sitting here now. The first time Keith’s seen him in a—year?—has it been a year? 

When the other paladins see Keith they stand hastily and all start speaking at once. “Is that my timer?””Gotta check on Kaltenecker!””I think I hear Coran calling.” They crowd around Keith as they all try to exit at once.

Allura stops briefly on her way out and whispers, “He’s been here for an hour. Waiting for you.” 

Shiro stood with the other paladins but hasn’t moved from beside the couch, eyes fixed on Keith. The last of the paladins exits the room and Keith hears and feels the doors seal shut with finality behind him. They’re alone in the lounge. 

“Hey,” Keith says, walking into the kitchen to prepare something to eat, trying to keep his tone light. Like this is all totally normal. “Can I get you something to eat? Drink?” 

If Shiro is taken aback by the chilly reception, he hides it well. He remains standing by the couch but his eyes follow Keith. 

“I haven’t eaten, but I thought we might go out.”

“Oh. Ok.” Keith puts his plate back in the drawer, grabs his glass of water, and walks over to where Shiro is standing. He offers a quick hug, closeness impeded by the sloshing glass of water in his hand. He holds it out from Shiro’s shoulder and squeezes awkwardly with the other arm. 

Then Shiro sits down on the couch. 

“Ok. I guess we’re sitting,” Keith thinks, trying to keep up. He sets his glass down on the table and takes a seat on the couch next to Shiro. His conscious mind is doing everything it can to maintain distance and neutral friendliness, but old habits die hard, and Keith and Shiro’s bodies angle toward one another on the couch, knees and hands nearly brushing. A familiar warmth starts to curl through Keith’s body. 

“It’s good to see you,” Shiro says. 

“It’s good to see you, too,” Keith says, and blast his traitorous heart, he means it. Shiro looks good. In the back of his mind though, so fresh in his memory, are the hopeful beginnings of something new. Soft kisses leading to something more. Dinner plans for tomorrow night. A safe berth in the outer systems. 

“How are you doing?” Shiro asks.

“I’m dating someone,” Keith says. “Just started. It’s really good.”

Shiro’s eyes widen and he pulls back just the tiniest bit from where their shoulders were starting to lean into each other. “Oh! Oh, that’s great—Keith.” He looks down and to the side. However he had planned this conversation, it had taken a distinct turn into the unknown. 

“How are you?” Keith asks, more confidently than he feels. 

“I—I may have met someone, too,” Shiro says. “Last night—“

Keith notices a dark hair on Shiro’s jacket. Not Shiro’s. Keith picks it off and raises an eyebrow. 

Shiro blushes. “Yeah. We were together all night last night. He’s smart and funny. You’d really like him.” 

“I want to hear more. Let’s get dinner, and we can talk all about it.” 

Shiro sighs. He seems relieved. Keith feels confident that whatever Shiro came for, he’s been able to provide it, and now Shiro is relaxed. It gives Keith a small sense of satisfaction. He was able to do that. Set Shiro at ease. 

They part in the early hours of the morning, and despite the promise of his rebel leader waiting for him in the outer system, Keith still feels a familiar sense of loss when Shiro walks away. 

//

Things ultimately don’t work out for Keith and his rebel leader, but Shiro and Curtis keep going strong and it’s not long before Keith gets a “Save the Date.” 

Shortly after, he gets the rare call from Shiro. 

“I want to see you one more time. You know, before.”

“Yeah, yeah, we should do that.”

But life is busy. And Shiro is planning a wedding. 

//

When Shiro and Curtis get married, Keith is off world. He video chats in to wish the couple the best, but is relieved when the screen cuts to black. 

//

Three years have passed since Shiro and Keith sat on the couch in the Paladin’s lounge. 3 years since Shiro came to see Keith for, what? Permission? Confirmation? Why HAD he come to see Keith the day after he met Curtis? 

Keith hasn’t seen anyone since things went south with the person he was dating when he last saw Shiro. Not for lack of trying, but he seems to be back in half-hearted, self-sabotaging mode. Nobody available seems to measure up. Or be interested. Or they do and they are, and Keith chickens out. Maybe he’s really just meant to be alone. 

Keith focuses on his role with the Blades. He’s been promoted, living off world, when he gets a ping from Lance. Lance has been assigned to a new post a couple systems over, just a hop really, and would love to connect. 

And by the way, did he know Shiro and Curtis were there, too? Maybe they could connect with them. 

Keith’s heart flops unexpectedly in his chest. “Sure. Sure, Lance. That sounds good.” He hopes he doesn’t sound as eager as he feels. 

Which is how, a couple weeks later, he and Lance end up sitting across from Shiro and Curtis at a casual, but nice restaurant. Shiro is beaming. Curtis is more subdued but still cheerful by Shiro’s side, peppering Keith and Lance with questions about their work and families, current events, and plans for the future. Shiro jumps in every once in awhile, a little sheepish. 

About 2/3 of the way into lunch, the topic turns to Keith and Shiro. 

“I hear this guy was a real pain,” Curtis says playfully, shouldering into Shiro and squeezing his hand, but looking straight at Keith. 

Shiro is looking down, his cheeks violently red.

“I don’t remember it that way,” Keith murmurs, looking down and flushing as well. 

After a beat, Curtis realizes the line of questioning isn’t going any farther and turns his attention back to Lance. 

It’s at least 5 minutes before the roaring in his ears subsides and Keith can look up from where his eyes have been fixed on his hands in his lap. When he does, he doesn’t look at Shiro. Shiro doesn’t look at him either. They’re both focused with laser intensity on Curtis and Lance. The bill gets paid and they part ways with lots of hugs and promises to stay in touch, get together again. 

Lance sees Shiro and Curtis a couple more times before he’s reassigned. 

Keith is stationed in Curtis and Shiro’s system a couple years later, but he doesn’t reach out. When work brings him close to the restaurant where they had dinner together, though, he spends the night in his hotel room staring at the ceiling and imagining running into Shiro as he walks though the door of the deli where the team gets lunch. Or bumping into him on the trail where he runs in the morning.

//


End file.
